A Philadelphia jury is the first jury to find Johnson & Johnson civilly liable for the injuries caused by an anti-psychotic drug called Risperdal®. The jury returned a verdict awarding an autistic man who was prescribed Risperdal for five years $2.5M in compensation.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first approved Risperdal for use in adults in the early 1990s. It was not until 2006 that the drug was approved for use in children. Before the drug was approved for use in children, Johnson & Johnson heavily marketed the drug for use in children illegally.
Risperdal Causes Breast Growth in Some Boys
The plaintiff in Philadelphia experienced gynecomastia, a condition where many adolescent boys develop breasts. Gynecomastia was a known side effect of Risperdal use, and a side effect that the company intentionally attempted to play down.
Witnesses who testified at the trial reported being encouraged to provide doctors with free Risperdal samples to increase prescriptions to children. Even a former FDA commissioner testified that the company was producing marketing material aimed at obscuring the risks of breast tissue development in boys.
Multiple Lawsuits Against Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson has now lost both a criminal and civil lawsuit. While this recent case was a civil lawsuit for the plaintiff who developed breasts, in 2013, the company also lost a criminal case brought by the U.S. Department of Justice.
In that criminal case, Johnson & Johnson pled guilty to charges of committing fraud by marketing Risperdal for off-label use in children before it was approved by the FDA. The company paid a $2.2 billion fine.
During that trial, it was discovered that the company offered doctors financial incentives and other perks to prescribe Risperdal on an off-label use. Doctors are allowed to prescribe drugs for off-label use, but companies cannot market drugs for off-label use or provide kickbacks to encourage doctors to prescribe them.
Johnson & Johnson is still fending off state court cases related to fraud brought by state attorney generals in addition to the thousands of civil personal injury claims brought by plaintiffs who were prescribed Risperdal and who were injured.
The company is also attempting address the more than 3,000 cases that have been filed in states across the United States. All of the attorneys are making many of the same claims. They are all accusing Johnson & Johnson of injuring male patients who have developed breasts.
Missouri Risperdal Injury Lawyers
David M. Peterson, founding partner and principal attorney at Peterson & Associates, P.C., has decades of experience representing injured plaintiffs in mass tort and personal injury lawsuits.
As an aggressive trial lawyer, Mr. Peterson works to ensure that pharmaceutical companies who injure families are held responsible.
If your child was prescribed Risperdal and injured, find out how Risperdal attorney David Peterson can help you get justice.
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